Australian FM talks about Vietnam-Australia relationship ahead of visit

Sydney (VNA) – Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has granted
an interview to Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in Sydney on the occasion
of her visit to Vietnam from May 26-28.

The following is the full text of the interview:

Q1: Vietnam and Australia have officially upgraded
their relationship to “Strategic Partner” in March 2018 during the visit of our
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Australia and this week, Vietnam welcomed
the official visit made by His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter
Cosgrove and Her Excellency Lady Cosgrove. What do you think about the
development of cooperation between two countries?

I am delighted to be visiting Vietnam during the 45th anniversary year of
diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam, for my third visit as
Foreign Minister.

This busy schedule of high-level bilateral visits reflects the recent elevation
of the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership, signed during Prime
Minister Phuc’s guest-of-government visit to Australia in March. This means our
two nations have recognised and laid the foundation for an ever-stronger
partnership.

During this visit I will co-chair the inaugural Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Minh. Over the coming years, this
meeting will provide a regular opportunity to discuss a range of strategic
issues and new areas of collaboration.

Australia’s deep engagement with Vietnam is also shown by our history of
support for Vietnam’s economic development. During my visit, I will be
participating in the opening ceremony of the Cao Lanh Bridge in the Mekong
delta, for which Australia provided A$160 million, which is our largest single
aid activity in mainland Southeast Asia. The bridge will create new economic
opportunities for the five million people living in the surrounding area by
reducing travel times and making it easier for people to access markets -
travel time between Ho Chi Minh City and Long Xuyen will be deduced from four
to two and a half hours.

Australia and Vietnam’s relationship is underpinned by strong people-to-people
links, with around 300,000 Australians of Vietnamese descent in Australia,
creating personal and business links with Vietnam. I am looking forward to
meeting dynamic Australian-Vietnamese business leaders, entrepreneurs and
influences to hear how they are building their own bridges between our
countries.

Q2: Australia and Vietnam have
established cooperative relations in many areas such as trade, security,
national defence, science and technology, education and tourism... what areas
of cooperation should be prioritised and what initiatives should be put in
place so bilateral cooperation can continue to contribute effectively to the
development of each country as well as to peace, security and stability in the
region?

The Strategic Partnership establishes a new bilateral ministerial-level
architecture which reflects the contemporary and dynamic relationship between
our two countries. This provides for a Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Defence
Ministers’ Meeting, and Economic Partnership Meeting. These ministerial-level
meetings will provide direction for increased engagement across the breadth of
the relationship, including on defence and security, law enforcement, trade,
investment, development cooperation, science and technology, innovation,
education, tourism and business links. This cooperation will be the foundation
for strong economic growth, peace, security and stability in the region.

Q3: What do you think about the
cooperation and coordination between Vietnam and Australia in regional and
international forums?

Australia is a close long-term partner for Vietnam and we have converging
regional interests on a range of issues in the Indo-Pacific region. The East
Asia Summit and other ASEAN-centred regional organisations like the ASEAN
Regional Forum have a critical role to play to ensure the Indo-Pacific remains
open, secure, inclusive and prosperous. Australia demonstrated its commitment
to a strong and resilient region, and to ASEAN centrality, by holding the first
ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Sydney in March this year.